Potain tower crane building riverside development

Construction of the development, called Wolf Point West, required the building's framework to be lifted and positioned at the point where the north and south branches of the river meet.

The project is being overseen by a joint venture including McHugh Construction Co. and Clark Construction Group. Patrick McGarvey, project manager at McHugh, said: "This is a very difficult and extensive project that spans the Chicago River. The reach of the MD 485 B M20's 262.5ft jib was needed for the challenging task of laying the formwork out over the water."

The crane is being used for lifting materials including 50ft steel columns, table forms, large air handlers, cooling towers, chillers, boilers and steel stairs.

"The MD 485's four-part line is also very helpful for the magnitude of this project," added McGarvey. "We had heavy steel columns that needed to be moved from the truck to the laydown yard, and then placed on the river walk. The crane was critical to getting the steel structure into place."

The development, which includes 500 apartments, is due to be completed in February 2016.